Global citizenship education (GCED) is UNESCO’s response to the impact of global warming, poverty, inequality, and human-rights violations that threaten peace and sustainability worldwide. The goal of GCED is to empower learners of all ages to appreciate that these are serious issues and to actively advocate—both locally and globally—for more wholesome, inclusive, safe, accepting, and sustainable societies. It is argued in this discussion paper, however, that before exploring the “how” of GCED, it is necessary to define what “global citizenship” might mean more broadly, from a uniquely indigenous Māori position. In order to do that, it is important to consider the following questions: What does global citizenship mean for Māori as the tangata whenua of Aotearoa? Are “tangata whenuatanga” and “global citizenship” compatible notions? What are some of the key parameters that GCED needs to take into account in order to be responsive to the rights and responsibilities of first national people globally?
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